Several CICATS staff and UConn-affiliated students and faculty attended the YWCA Hartford Region’s In the Company of Women Luncheon in mid-April. The YWCA Hartford Region is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. Their mission aligns with CICATS efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities, as well as our work mentoring the next generation interested in STEM fields. At the luncheon the YWCA announced their new Executive Director, Adrienne Cochrane, who CICATS worked with for many years in her previous role at the Urban League of Greater Hartford.

The Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (CICATS) at the University of Connecticut has announced the selection of seven new Pre-K Development Award Scholars. CICATS Pre-K Scholar Award Program is a two-year interactive program designed to equip junior faculty with the knowledge and competencies to effectively apply for an NIH Research Career Development Award (K award) as well as become leaders in clinical and translational science.

The primary goals of the Pre-K program include developing skills to write a successful K award, promoting collaborative learning with CICATS investigators and research staff, and selecting the optimal mentorship team to support a successful research career.

“Developing a K Career Development Award Application can be confusing and overwhelming for junior investigators,” said Dr. Lisa Barry of the UConn Health Center on Aging, who serves as a co-director of the program. “The Pre-K program addresses these challenges by guiding Scholars through each element of the application process, such as finding mentors and writing the career development plan.  Scholars also benefit by receiving feedback and support from a cohort of peers who are going through the same process.”

The 2018/2020 Pre-K Scholars are:

• Stephanie Gernant, PharmaD, MS, UConn Pharmacy, Research Title: Improving MTM Delivery through Community Pharmacy Workflow Re-Design.
• Eliane Dutra, DDS, MSD, PhD, UConn Health Orthodontics, Research Title: Anabolic Responses of Intermittent PTH Treatment in the Mandibular Condyle.
• Jenna Bartley, PhD, UConn Health Center on Aging, Research Title: The Effect of Metformin on Influenza Vaccine Responses and T Cell Function in the Elderly Significance.
• Jeffrey Pella, PhD, UConn Health Psychiatry, Research Title: The Costs and Benefits of a Teacher Delivered Intervention for Pediatric Anxiety.
• Minjung Kim, PhD, UConn Health Cardiology, Research Title: Mobile Adherence Evaluations in Heart Failure Care Management.
• Insoo Kim, PhD, UConn Health Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Research Topic: Smart Sensing Platform for Upper Limb Prosthesis Monitoring and Functional Evaluation.
• Alexander Hogan, MD, MS, CCMC Pediatrics, Research Topic: A Mixed-Methods Approach to Decreasing Late Asthma Readmissions.

This will be the third cohort of Pre-K Scholars since the program began in 2013. “The CICATS Pre-K program has helped tremendously in providing the time and resources in order for me to submit a NIH K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award,” said Dr. Kevin J. Manning of UConn Psychiatry who is a graduating Pre-K Scholar. “I have really valued the guidance and feedback from my CICATS peers and instructors through the submission process.”

The Pre-K Scholar Award Program is at the core of CICATS work. “Increasing the number of researchers applying for NIH K and other awards is critical to the mission of CICATS and results in increased collaboration and groundbreaking scientific discoveries,” said Dr. Cato Laurencin, CEO of CICATS. CICATS Pre-K Scholars are awarded 30% protected time as well as funding for travel to national conferences.

Each month CICATS hosts a science cafe with the Kavli Foundation on a different scientific topic. Our science cafe series aims to engage researchers, professionals, and the broader community in an informal and productive dialogue around an important clinical or public health topic.

Our May Event is organized by Dr. Damion Grasso, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at UConn Health, and focuses on children’s exposure to family violence. We will hear brief presentations from invited researchers, providers, advocates, and community members spotlighting cutting-edge research and practice as it pertains to improving prevention and intervention efforts. There will be ample time for informal discussion and networking. This event is free and all are invited to attend. Food and beverages will be provided.

Topic: Family Violence Research & Intervention: Strengthening partnerships

Organizer: Dr. Damion Grasso

When: Friday, May 11, 2018, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.

Where: J. Timothy’s Tavern, 143 New Britain Ave, Plainville, CT 06062

Note: There is plenty of free parking available.

Pre-registration is closed but you can still register at the event itself.

For questions please contact Noehren@uchc.edu.

The Connecticut Convergence Institute hosts free science cafes with the Kavli Foundation on different scientific topics. Our science cafe series aims to bring science to members of the community in an engaging and informal way. You do not need to have a background in science to attend and enjoy these events.

For our April event, attendees will hear from four University of Connecticut faculty about racism and its impact on medicine, health equity and human experience. There will be ample time for discussion and Q&A. This event is free and all are invited to attend. Food and beverages will be provided.

Topic: The Philosophy of Science & Race: Racism and Its Impacts on Medicine, Health Equity, and Human Experience

Speakers:

• Dr. Cato Laurencin
• Dr. Melina Pappademos, UConn Africana Studies Institute
• Dr. V. Bede Agocha, UConn Department of Psychology
• Dr. David Embrick, UConn Department of Sociology

When: Friday, April 27, 2018, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.

Where: Butchers and Bakers, 270 Farmington Avenue, Suite 101, Farmington, CT 06032

Note: There is plenty of free parking available in front of the restaurant. 

Pre-registration is closed. You may register at the event itself.

For questions please contact Noehren@uchc.edu.

Pictured: State Rep. Edwin Vargas, State Rep. Bruce Morris and our CEO Dr. Cato Laurencin

On Friday, March 16th, we brought together 18 of our 23 Core Interest Groups (CIGs) with key stakeholders, legislators and members of the public, for a Science Café to celebrate innovation and excellence in research.

Our CIGs were developed to promote collaborative, trans-disciplinary research within the University of Connecticut and UConn Health and cover a wide variety of topics including women’s cancers, health disparities, aging research, child mental health and more. This event highlighted the work of each CIG as audience members listened to updates about their accomplishments and future goals.

During the event, our CEO Dr. Cato Laurencin presented an award to the Connecticut Legislative Black and Puerto Rican Caucus in honor of their support and commitment to the Institute.

This event was co-sponsored by The Kavli Foundation.

Dr. William Zempsky, co-leader of CICATS Sickle Cell Disease Core Interest Group and current M1 Scholar, has published a new paper in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology titled: Describing Perceived Racial Bias Among Youth With Sickle Cell Disease. According to the abstract, this is the first study of its kind to describe the racial bias experiences of youth with sickle cell disease and their reactions to these experiences.

To read the abstract and learn more visit the Journal’s website.

CICATS staff member Dr. Kevin Lo has published a new paper in the Drug Discovery Today journal titled: The roles of Ions on Bone Regeneration. Obum Umerah, a former summer research intern of Dr. Lo’s, is listed as a co-author. Highlights of this new research include:

• Alternative bone regenerative therapeutics are needed.
• Ions have been proposed to regenerate skeletal tissue.
• Drug delivery systems have been studied to deliver ions for bone regeneration.

You can read the full article on the Drug Discovery Today website.

CICATS CEO Dr. Cato Laurencin gave the opening remarks at The Institute for Women’s Health and Leadership’s 2018 Helen I. Moorehead-Laurencin, MD Sex & Gender Research Forum at Drexel University. The interactive forum, held on International Women’s Day, highlighted Drexel’s interdisciplinary research focused on sex and gender in a local, national and global context.

Dr. Laurencin’s inspiring remarks payed tribute to his mother, Helen I. Moorehead-Laurencin, who this event is named after. Moorehead-Laurencin broke down barriers for women in medicine and was known for her passionate commitment to helping people. “She exemplified the best of what altruism and a thrill for knowledge and science can accomplish. She didn’t simply practice medicine, she lived it,” said Dr. Laurencin.

For more information about the conference visit the Drexel University website.

Yinghui Duan, a former CICATS Graduate Assistant, successfully defended her dissertation for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health on March 16, 2018. Her dissertation is titled “Use of Tamsulosin and the Risk of Psychiatric Disorders among Older Men with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: a Retrospective Cohort Study Using Medicare Data from 2006 to 2012.”

CICATS staff member Dr. Helen Wu has published a new research paper that suggests Tamsulosin might increase dementia risk in older men. Her paper appears in the March 2018 edition of Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety. In addition to her paper, the March edition features cover art submitted by Dr. Wu and her co-authors Dr. Yinghui Duan, Dr. James J. Grady and Dr. Peter C. Albertsen.

You can read the abstract, view the entire paper, and read Dr. Wu’s interview with Reuters Health News.